Recently, I received an email from a graduate student in South Africa inquiring about my research interests. He wanted to know more about my Masters’ research, the relevance of my research and who I worked with. In my return response to him, I answered his questions, attached an appropriate paper that summarized my research and connected him with my Masters’ supervisor. He replied shortly after with a thank you email.

One of most important rules regarding correspondences is to always reply and do so promptly. Even if you do not know the answer, inform the other person that you are not sure of the answer and maybe direct him/her to someone who may know, or if determining an answer to a question will take a few days, let that other person know about the delay and that you’ll get back to them. Sometimes you may be the person who is awaiting a response and you are always appreciative when you receive it.